Card holder



May 17, 1960 P. A. LANDIS 2,936,539

CARD HOLDER Filed June 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m PA U%%%bls BY tff May 17, 1960 I P. A. LANDIS CARD HOLDER Filed June 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Pd ZZZ A. Lmvzu:

W 4. Sa li/CM fiTTOR/VEYJ United States Patent CARD HOLDER Paul A. Landis, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ulric Application June 5, 1959, Serial No. 818,369

3 Claims. (Cl. 40-2) The present invention relates generally to an articleholding device, and, more particularly, to a novel device for holding a card or the like desirably retained in combination with a specific item of roll stock wound on a mandrel or core.

The invention will be particularly described and illustrated in the drawings in connection with that class of merchandise commonly known as roll stock. Roll stock is usually and conveniently wound onto a hollow core or mandrel. It is customary to inventory such roll stock, and, for that purpose, some indicia, usually a card, is desirably attached to each unit of roll stock. The card contains various pieces of coded information dealing with the particular roll. This invention has to do with providing a unique scheme for combining the inventory card with its associated roll. In the past, it has been customary to place the cards between layers of the roll stock or haphazardly stuff the card into the hollow end portion of the mandrel or core. The card is also frequently merely stapled to the exterior surface of the roll. Unfortunately, it is found that with all of the foregoing schemes, loss of the card frequently occurs which, of course, involves a consequent loss of time in redetermining the needed and useful information contained on the card when it is time to use the roll or inventory the roll stock involved. Further, it is found that mix-ups occur because a number of cards become disconnected from the roll to which they pertain, and cards are returned to a different roll. The results of such a mix-up in misinformation and loss of time are obvious. It also frequently occurs that a particular roll which is found in storage but Without a corresponding card is not advanced in the normal sequence, but 'is continuously retainedin the storage area, and, consequently, becomes damaged or unfit for its intended purpose.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel device for attaching an informationcontaining card to cylindrical roll stock.

It is likewise an object of the present invention to provide such a device which holds the information-containing card securely, and yet in a convenient, out-of-the-way place.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a device which is of relatively simple construction, and is easily attached to roll stock mandrels and/or cores.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilledin the art from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the annexed sheets of drawings, on which there is presented for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation view in section (but with the section lines left out for clarity of illustration) of a roll of paper in combination with the device of this invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of that portion of the roll which includes the device of the invention.

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Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged profile view, with portions broken away, of a portion of the device of the invention, illustrating the manner in which the device operates.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of one component of the device of the present invention.

6 is a view taken on the plane 6--6 of Fig. 4.

In its simplest embodiment, the device of the present invention contemplates means for locating a disk or plate within a core or mandrel, and in recessed relationship with the extremity of the core, said plate having a cardreceiving aperture therein and a flexible, U-shaped, springlike member, the extreme extremities of the legs of the member being engageable with the disk or plate, and two portions of the legs being in resilient surface contact, whereby a thickness of card may be grasped and retained therebetween.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1, a roll 11 of, for instance, paper. The paper is wound in layers on a core or mandrel 12 which is hollow as at 13. The core or mandrel may be, of course, formed of metal or may be a spirally wound, stifii, paperboard tube. In any event, the core is usually open at either end. As seen in Fig. 1, the device 15 of the invention has been inserted into one open end of the core or mandrel. The device generally is composed of a pluglike member 20 and a flexible, spring-like element 40. The reference numeral C represents a card held in the device. The device 15 is shown in greater detail in Figs. 2-6, wherein it can be seen that the plug-like member 20 includes a circular central plate 21, having an annular wall 23 integrally attached to the periphery and normal to the plane of the disk 21. The wall 23 terminates in an outwardly flaring annular flange 25 parallel to the plate 21. The centralplate or disk 21 is provided with a linear slot 27, the central portion of which is enlarged as at 28 to define four shoulders 28a, 28b, 23c, and 28a. The length of the slot 27 is selected in accordance with the width of the card concerned, while the size of the central enlarged portion defined by the four shoulders is selected to accommodate the size of the other element of the device of this invention, namely, the spring-like element 40.

The spring-like element 40 is formed of a generally flat, thin strip of sheet metal, the size of which is selected in accordance with the size of the inventory card to be held thereby. For the average IBM card, measuring approximately 3" x 8", the width of the strip may be in the neighborhood of A" to A2", and the length about 15" to 20". The strip of metal is bent in the middle as at 41, and further bent into the contour shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 4. The bending of the strip in the middle leads obviously to the formation of what may be considered as two legs 4ila and 40b. The end extremities of these legs are bent in opposite directions to form aligned flanges 42a and 42b which seat in the enlarged central portion 28 of the slit 27 in the center plate 21. The flanges are spaced apart as at 420 to leave a passageway through which the card C may be passed. Just in from the flanges, the legs are bent in hook fashion as at 43a and 43b to define channels 44a and 44b which actually engage the opposed parallel edges 29 and 39 in the plate 21 (see Fig. 5). From the positions 43a and 4312, the legs are each bowed symmetrically inwardly to a point of tangency as at 49a and 49b, and then outwardly as at 50, thence, inwardly to the midpoint 41 which defines the innermost point of the U- shaped member 40. The contour of the metal element, as described, provides a springing action such that the flange-like extremities 42a and 42b tend to spring apart.

with the edges 29 and 30 as described hereinabove.

Lateral displacement is precluded, of course, by the shoulders 28a, 28b, 28c, and 28d. Additionally, as the card is inserted between the legs 46a and 40b, the springlike character provided by the property of the metal and the contour described causes the portions of the legs 4% and 49b to yield just sufliciently to receive the card therebetween and exert frictional holding contact thereon. The features of construction as described permit the introdnction of an inventory card or the like through slit 2'7 and well within the interior of the core or mandrel and spaced from its end. The construction also prevents the card from being pushed in too far by the fact that it will hit the midpoint 41. As can be seen by reference to Fig. 1, once the card has been located, it will no longer be afiectecl by external influences, e.g., weather, jostling, accidental removal, etc., but, rather, will be held in safe, recessed relationship, albeit that it will be readily available by simply inserting the fingers of the hand into the end or" the core, whereupon the end portion of the card will be readily encountered.

The outwardly flaring flange .25 on the device rests flush against the edge of the core and material wound thereon, and thus prevents displacement of the plug portion, and particularly insures that the plane of the recessed plate 21 will be normal to the axis of the roll, and, thus, in its best position to receive the card. In this regard, it will be appreciated that if the plate 21 is in a cooked position, the card 21 would not be easily inserted in the aperture or slot 27. The plug-like element is desirably formed so that the annular wall 23 tapers slightly, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that it will fit tightly even if there is some variation in the diam eter of the open end of the core or mandrel.

Variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For roll stock wound on a hollow cylindrical core, the combination of a plug-like member and a clip element capable of holding inventory ca'r'ds'and the like, said plug-like member being snugly receivable in said core and including a plate having an aperture therein of a size to receive an inventory card, and means for holding said plug in recessed relationship with the edge of said roll stock, and said clip being formed of a single piece of spring-like material formed into an elongated U-shaped member, the ends of which engage said aperture, the middle portion of which is spaced inwardly from said plate, and a portion of eachleg of said clip being bent into yielding con tacting relationship, whereby it is adapted to frictionally receive and hold a card or the like in reeessedrelationship within said core. i

2. A card retainer for roll stock having a hollow core, comprising, in combination, a hollow plug snugly reccivable in said core and defining a transversely extend ing wall, said wall having a slot-like aperture therein of a size to permit insertion of an inventory card therethrough, a spring metal retaining member of elongated U-shaped configuration, the bight portion of said retaining member being insertable through said aperture, the free ends of retainlngmember being respectively engageable with opposite wall portions of said slot-like aperture and normally spaced apart a greater distance than the spacing of said wall portions, whereby insertion of said retaining member in said slot-like aperture resiliently forces the arms of said retaining member toward each other to hold medial portions thereof in abutment, said medial portions cooperating to frictionally receive and hold an inventory card inserted through said aperature.

3. Acard retainer for roll stock having a hollow core, comprising, in combination, a hollowp'lug snugly receivable in said core and defining a transversely extending wall located axially Within said core, said wall having a slot-like aperture therein of a size to permit insertion of an inventory card therethrough, a spring metal retaining member of elongated U-shaped configuration, the bight portion of said retaining member being insertable through said aperture, the free ends of said retaining member being respectively engageable with opposite wall portions of 'said slot-like aperture and normally spaced apart a greater distance than the spacing of said wall portions, whereby insertion of said retaining member in said slotlike aperture resiliently forces the arms of said retaining member toward each other to hold medial portions thereof in abutment, said medial portions cooperating to fric- I tionally receive and hold an inventory card inserted through said aperture, the length of said member being less than the length of the inventory card, and the combined length of said member plus the depth of axial insertion of said wall being in excess of the length of the inventory card, whereby said card is retained within said Germany Feb. 22, 1907 

